These words below taken from the cafe in England called "The Original Maids of Honour Company" that actually still holds, under lock and key, the ORIGINAL recipe for these treasured cakes.....

It all started with the dainty Maid of Honour cakes after which we are named. It is believed that Henry VIII, King of England from 1509-1547, came across Anne Boleyn and her Maids of Honour (the young ladies who attended the Queen), eating the cakes from a silver dish.

Tasting one for himself, the King was so delighted by its ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ sensation that he confiscated the recipe and demanded it be kept secret in a locked iron box at Richmond Palace.

One account goes even further and states that, in order to protect the secret recipe, the unfortunate Maid who invented the cake was imprisoned within the Palace grounds and ordered to produce the delectable tarts solely for King Henry and his royal household!

We don’t know, but one thing’s for sure – the cakes which are deliciously sweet and yet slightly savoury, light and crisp yet unctuously soft in the middle, required a careful balance of the finest ingredients and the lightest hand to make – and they still do.

The continued popularity of the Maids

The years passed and the Tudor Dynasty gave way to the House of Stuart. Certainly by the early 18th century the recipe had been disclosed to a bakery in Richmond and the tasty little cakes became one of the features of fashionable Richmond through that century and beyond.

The first Original Maids of Honour shop was on the corner of Hill Street in Richmond under the ownership of Mr John Billet and can be traced back to the early 18th century. Here a young lad called Robert Newens served an apprenticeship and went on to open his own premises, first in King Street and later at No 3 George Street, and so the

tradition of making and selling Maids of Honour in Richmond continued.

A secret passed on

Robert Newens’ family helped build the business and in 1887, his son Alfred Nashbar Newens opened a brand new establishment on the Kew Road – exactly where we are today. Of course, the father passed the now secret family recipe on to his son and the Maids of Honour were served warm and delicious to the people of Kew –

with a whole range of other baked goods on offer as well.

Alfred Newens died in 1927 leaving his business to be carried on by his son John and daughter Kathleen. But during World War II (1939-1945), the elegant early Victorian building that housed the bakery, shop and dining room suffered severe bomb damage and the future looked bleak.

Beyond the Blitz…

A surveyor’s report from 1947 describes the site of the bakery as “little more than a pile of rubble, the baker’s oven a charred and blackened hulk at its centre”.

But the Dunkirk spirit was alive and well (a phrase used to describe the tendency of the British to pull together and overcome times of adversity) and the Original Maids of Honour had its own “miracle of deliverance” when John Newens’ son Peter left the army and with his family, set work to get the business back on its feet.

The bake house was rebuilt with new gas ovens installed, and the shop front was remodelled. Though the fashionable 1940s building lacked some of the lofty elegance of its Victorian predecessor, the new premises had a welcoming and homely appeal with its distinctive Mock Tudor mix of painted pebbledash, red clay roof tiles, heavy timbering and casement windows – and few would disagree, is a far more fitting home for a cake and an odyssey of Tudor origin!

…and into the Future

Visitors today to the Original Maids of Honour are greeted by this very same shop front, and since the 1940s the business has gone from strength to strength. And though its no longer run by the Newens family, little else has changed. The Maids of Honour are still served warm from our ovens every day and the bakery provides a mouth-watering experience for any visitor in its huge variety of high quality homemade iced and

plain cakes, meat pies, cream teas and traditional English luncheons.

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC DON'T YOU THINK!!!

Knowing it true that I could not rely upon the Newens Family to hand over this treasure, I went upon a fabulous internet journey to find a

suitable recipe for the Queen.

Actually I happened upon SEVERAL versions....

which is why I ended up making two types of "Maids".

The first recipe I tried was this lovely bite.....

It was incredibly easy and may I say TASTY...seriously they were DEVOURED so fast that I had to make a second batch for Queen Anne!

41 comments:

Thanks for the recipes, Trisha - and the history lesson! Two favorite things in one post - and the most unusual teacup ever! Love that black and red one. Poor Anne - yes, very appropriate.I want to try adjusting the recipes for gluten free eating. I'm supposed to be off the stuff but I LOVE pastries and cake! I mill my own gluten free oats into a fine flour and add a touch of spelt. We'll see how this turns out - I'll let you know!Joy!Miss Kathy

I am flipping out with these cakes, Trish! I am planning a tea luncheon in August and BOTH of these will be on the menu. I adore that tea cup. I hope to be able to join this lovely meme in the next couple of weeks. xo,

Absolutely wonderful, Trisha. I love history, tea, and all the beauty and gourmet sweetness you are sharing here. Thank you for participating at Joy of Desserts and for hosting this lovely tea party. I brought my vintage rhubarb sherbet recipe. :-)

To be imprisoned for creating the best cake...would just kinda make you not want to make the best one. I do like the version 2 of the little cakes, the little flower shape around them is delightful. I have some strawberry jam not being used, this may just be a good use for it! I have linked up my Pina Colada Cupcakes. The coconut makes them a little messy so maybe not fit for a queen. I think I would be safe from imprisonment :)

When I think of Henry the VIII I don't think too kindly! Those poor maids! That nasty many stole their sweet treats, and heads!!!! But in a very "twist of fate" way he may have also also saved this delightful recipe! I was so infatuated by the history of the Maids~ and the way they seemed to be destined to survive.Thanks so much for joining me for ON THE MENU MONDAY! YOu have added a very inspriring post~ and I appreciate your dear support! I have a sweet idea for TEA PARTY TUESDAY next week! I hope to join in!

Okay from what i remember of eating said Maid of honor from that shop in Kew, Richmond. I second seems to look like them.. but I think the top one will teste like them I will try both and let you know .. thank you for the recipe.....they really are the best tasting treats I even had and even after all these years I can remember them.....Thank you sharing

Oh, I just dropped by from Ivonne's, OTMM and saw this beautiful post! Thank you for the great lesson and for the wonderful recipes I see...I may make some for an upcoming B. Shower I'll be hosting. Love the Eng. cups, so beautiful! Wish I could go and have tea with you, in style! Hugs, FABBY

Thank you for hosting. I'm a new follower, and I need your help.I have a page on my site that lists more than 300 hops, memes, and photo challenges… some for each day of the week. Yours is listed there, too! I'm trying to update the list to include a brief phrase describing each link. Can you sum yours up... hopefully in a dozen words or less? Check under the header for the link to that page. NCSuehttp://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/ncsue0514 at msn dot com

I feel so honored that you came and graced my tea table, m'lady...thank you so much for inviting me and for your endearing comments. I loved those mouth-watering Maids of Honour and learning about the minstrel's tale... the poor maid! Thanks for sharing the recipe and I'm happily following you and feel honored to be part of Tea Party Tuesday. Good Day to you, m'lady!~Poppy

Wonderful follow up post to Saturdays Mad Tea Party post!!! Thanks for sharing these fabulous recipes!! I'm also participating in your tea party ... thank you for hosting such a wonderful gathering!!! xo HHL

what a great story! not that i approve of what the king did to imprison the maid but gosh those maid in honor cakes look sooo yummy and you always did a great job in making them and arrange them in such a beautiful setting! i also love the cupcake with teapot on it (im sure i said it before hehe) i'm glad that the recipe survived even thru the blitz so we can all enjoy it and make them ourselves, thanks for sharing the recipe and I absolutely adore you teacup, love the foot and the gorgeous desing on it! xx Susan

Dear Trisha,I am smitten with your post! I have always wanted to try Maid of Honour tarts and now I can because you were so kind to share the recipe; thank you! What a fun post and I am always happy to have you join me for tea, my friend. What a talented lady you are to produce those darling cupcakes for the Anne Boleyn tea! I love your black teacup adorned with the red rose! It is exquisite. Thank you for sharing another lovely tea and joining me for Tea Time. Wishing you a delightful day.

That's an absolutely fantastic story - I am so glad the recipe was not locked away and that this family's tradition is still going - I think I'd like to make these this weekend - see what review my family gives! Thanks for sharing this with A Return to Loveliness,God Bless,Kathy

A delightful history lesson served with two version of tarts! What could be better. Both of your tarts look lovely by the way. I like your newest teacup, I think the tiny legs are my favourite part of it.

What a fabulous tale of legend and whimsy! I just love that era and so enjoyed reading your post! I am so looking forward to trying your recipes! AND...I must say your tea cup is perfect in your lovely red parlour!!! Big H*U*G*S !!!!

What a great lesson in history and baking. Both of the recipes look sooo good. I love the black china piece...quite dramatic in your living room. I enjoyed this a lot. This is my first day participating and it was really enjoyable!!!

I really enjoyed this post, and what lovely teacups! Both your recipes sound delicious, and I look forward to trying them for myself. It turns out that the shop that makes the original Maids of Honour that you wrote about is only about an hour or so drive from my home in Berkshire, so I will definitely have to visit it next time I am in the Kew/Richmond area. I'm so glad you brought it to my attention! Thank you for sharing this post with Let's Do Brunch :)

Great post! Very informative and I can't wait to make these fabulous maid of honour cakes! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe at Muffin and Cupcake Monday! Have a great week and hope to see you again soon!